Past Tense ( Concept )
http://purl.org/linguistics/gold/PastTense

A value of Tense Feature assigned to the designated element in the clause when the meaning selected for the clause is that intended to locate the event spoken about as anterior to the deictic centre of the utterance. Most commonly, this tense meaning is referred to as 'past', because in absolute tense systems the deictic centre is the moment of speech. However, in relative tense systems, where the deictic centre can be moved to any point on the time line, it is more appropriate to refer to this temporal relation as 'anterior'.
The anterior temporal relation may obtain either in 'simple' or 'perfect' contexts. Modelling of this distinction originates from Reichenbach (1947), who suggested using a third point in time, 'reference point', to capture all possible tense distinctions. In all 'simple' temporal relations, the reference point coincides with the location of the event spoken about. 'Perfect' tense meanings are created when the reference point is separated and moved away from the event time, thus altering the viewing of the temporal location of the event even though the event's actual location with respect to the deictic centre remains the same.
A common instance of an anterior temporal relationship obtaining in a 'perfect' context
occurs when the reference point is moved away from the event time and located instead at the moment of speech. The event time is still anterior to the moment of speech, but it is viewed against a stretch of time which began at the event and continues up to the moment of speech --- e.g. the English I have read this book, I have seen John --- hence the interpretation that the event has an effect or is in some way still relevant at the moment of speech. In some languages (e.g. English) this tense meaning is labelled as (one of the uses of the) Present Perfect, in others (e.g. Polish) this meaning may be collapsed with the 'simple' anterior meaning and labelled simply as Past.
Typically, for a tense value to be labelled as Past Tense, the tense meaning has to minimally express the anterior temporal relationship, although it may additionally express other temporal relationships or aspectual and/or modal meanings. For example, when the usage of the Past Tense value is restricted to a semantically defined domain, it is conventional to add a further qualification to the label of the Past Tense value (e.g. Past Imperfective --- when the anterior temporal relationship is necessarily combined with an aspectual meaning of the Imperfective Aspect value, and grammaticalised as a single [Tense-Aspect-Mood (TAM)] category in the language). [Kibort 2008c: 4]

Usage Notes

Examples

Language Code: tur
In Turkish, the nominative is zero-marked. Also, in this language nonspecific objects do not take the accusative case. 2009-06-04 13:28:08

He played soccer (I have seen evidence that he played, but I did not see him play)

References:Palmer (2001:36) FROM Barnes (1984) FROM Malone (1988)

Language Code: ami
Realis encodes that the speaker is offering and unqualified statement of fact. The term 'realis' is synonymous with the term 'indicative' and therefore 'declarative.' 2009-06-04 13:28:08

ho

bu-

busal-

en

age

qo-

in

pig

SIM-

run.out-

3.SG.DIFSBJ.REAL

3.PL

hit-

3.PL.REM.PST

They killed the pig as it ran out.

References:Palmer (2001:5) FROM Roberts (1990)

Language Code: yak
In Yakima, if the agent is more topical than the patient, the direct-active clause is used. If norm is reversed and the patient is more topical, the inverse clause is used. 2009-06-04 13:28:08

ku

pá-

'?n-

a

pch'íimya-

n

piyáp-

in

and

INV-

tell-

PST

wild.cat-

OBJ

elder.brother-

OBV

And the elder brother [OBV] told the wild cat [PROX].

References:Givon (1994:24)

Language Code: faa
'Hearsay from a known source' is equivalent to a Secondhand Evidential in this language. 2009-06-04 13:28:08